


I've Got Your Back

by TuppingLiberty



Series: I've Got Your Back - Zimbits A/B/O verse [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alpha!Bitty, Alpha!Lardo, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Female alphas have a dick, Flashbacks, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega!Jack, Praise Kink, meaning Lardo has a dick just FYI, pregnant!jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:41:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: “Okay, Bits, here’s the deal,” Lardo started, her eyes intent on his. “For, um, reasons I’ll let Jack divulge if he wants, Jack can’t take suppressants.”Bitty’s eyes went wide. He looked to Jack, but Jack was stubbornly staring at a spot on the wall. "Overdose," he mumbled quietly, and Bitty's heart broke a little for the boy Jack had been. Bitty nodded his understanding, even though Jack wasn't looking at him.“Obviously, that means that Jack gets heats once a month that need to be dealt with. Normally, I help him out.”Bitty wasn’t sure his eyes could go wider.“Jack needs an Alpha that will help him out without getting attached.” Lardo grinned ruefully. “As much as I can appreciate Jack’s body, he’s not exactly my type, right? Now Camilla, on the other hand…” She winked at Bitty, then paused.“Oh-oh-uh. Okay?”“So I’ve got to go home this summer, but Jack is taking summer semester classes, so he’ll be here too.” She looked expectantly at him.“Uh. Cool?” Bitty felt like there was something he should be saying differently.“Crisse, Bittle, she’s asking if you’ll help me with my heats.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LeftWingLibrarian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftWingLibrarian/gifts).



> Canon divergence: Lardo did not go on a trip during Bitty's freshman year. Bitty did not go home for the summer between his freshman and sophomore years, but stayed in the Haus. And Jack stayed at the Haus in between going to various training camps. 
> 
> Oh, and of course, canon divergence, it's an Omegaverse. :D
> 
> Lardo and Jack have heat sex in this, but it's more like "sex between bros, bros helping each other out with a heat" type thing.
> 
> All sex is consensual, if that type of thing worries you about A/B/O. You won't have to worry about it here.
> 
> The premise behind this, what started this, was basically just me wondering "If Jack was an Omega, who would he trust to get through heats? Lardo."

July, 2024

Bitty was still flipping pancakes - apple cinnamon - and bopping his hips along to Beyonce when Jack padded into the kitchen, managing to look both sleepy and well-rested at the same time. “You just sit right down, Mr. Zimmermann. I’ll have these done in a sec. Meanwhile, eat some of that protein, please.”

He sighed when Jack ignored him, scooting up behind Bitty instead and wrapping his arms around Bitty’s waist, fitting his head on top of Bitty’s. The sigh was half pleasure, half exasperation. “You fool,” Bitty murmured lovingly.

“You know, Bits, when I used to chirp you about eating more protein, I didn’t necessarily mean something like this.” Jack’s hand snaked out to grab a strip of bacon, even as he landed a kiss on Bitty’s cheek. Graceful as ever, his man. “But now that I can, I’m definitely going to let myself get fat.”

Bitty laughed, removing the last of the pancakes from the griddle and turning in Jack’s arms. “I look forward to it, sweetheart. Finally, all of my skills, put to good use.” He placed a hand over the small swell at Jack’s stomach, grateful for their decision - well, ultimately, it had been Jack’s decision, but he’d talked it out with Bitty, like he always tried to do - to retire in the wake of this new pregnancy. Genevieve, the light of his life, their beautiful daughter - Jack carrying her and then fighting to return his body to hockey God status had strained the limits of Bitty’s Alpha instincts. It had been important for Jack, though, so Bitty had just been as supportive as possible. And Jack had come back and won the cup one last time, hadn’t he? He'd retired from hockey on his own terms, showing the whole world that Omegas could do whatever they put their minds to. Bitty couldn't have been prouder.

If, this time, Jack wanted to get fat and not obsess about how his body would be after the pregnancy, Bitty thought, then by all means, Bitty could help him out. He turned and piled a short stack and a couple more slices of bacon onto a plate, then pushed it into Jack’s hands. “How’s this for a start?”

“Looks amazing, Bits, like always.” Jack held the plate out of the way so that he could kiss Bitty more fully, the simple sweetness of the kiss sending shoots of pleasure all the way through Bitty’s toes.

“Thank you.” Bitty turned, prepping two more plates, then calling to the living room, “Vivi, baby, time for breakfast.” He counted out three seconds on his fingers, eyes on Jack, who smiled, amused. When the three seconds were up, he held his arms out to expertly catch the tiny bundle of blonde energy that was their daughter. “Uh uh, no toys at the table." Efficiently and gently, he pulled the baby dolls from her hands and placed them on the kitchen counter. "They'll be waiting for you after you eat. Did you wash your hands?”

Vivi pouted up at him, but shook her head.

“Scoot, then, baby,” Bitty replied, watching her pull the step stool over to the kitchen sink before turning to doctor his pancakes with Karo - which Jack _still_ chirped the hell out of him for.

“Hey, Bits.”

“Mhmm, sweetie?” Bitty didn’t look up as he poured a little maple syrup out on Vivi’s plate - if he let her do it herself, she’d end up with a maple syrup-pancake ratio that would make even his sweet tooth ache, and make nap time an impossible prospect.

“Eric.”

Bitty turned at the name, and the slyness in Jack’s voice. When he looked at his husband, Jack just patted his lap. “Come eat with me.”

Bitty flushed, then looked at Vivi, then back at Jack, who was raising an eyebrow. “This boy,” he sighed, rolling his eyes, as he moved his plate closer to Jack’s, then perched himself on Jack’s lap. He felt rather than saw Jack lean in to catch his scent. Jack’s pregnancy with Vivi had made him extremely possessive and handsy, so Bitty supposed this was just par for the course now. Still, it was no hardship to be so close to his mate, and he had the innate need to keep Jack calm and happy right now.

Vivi pulled herself up to the table, eyeing Bitty’s position on Jack for about two seconds, then digging into her food without a care in the world. Bitty figured it must be a common enough occurrence for her to see, by now. “Daddy, did you know that-” Bitty smiled. _‘Daddy, did you know that-’_ was how Vivi started any sentence that she figured was going to blow Bitty’s mind. For four year olds, nearly everything was mind-blowing. “That Judy and Maggie are in love?”

“Oh, yeah?” Judy and Maggie were Vivi’s baby dolls. Last week they had been sisters.

“Yeah,” Vivi said around a mouthful of apple-cinnamon pancakes. “Like you and Papa.”

“That’s nice, _ma fille._ ” Jack squeezed Bitty toward him a little. “How did they fall in love?”

Vivi frowned at her bacon, then shrugged. “I don’t know.” She took another bite of food with a grumpy expression on her face, and Bitty had to stuff his own mouth to keep from laughing. Lord, but she was a delight. He watched as her face brightened then, and she looked up. “Daddy, how did you and Papa fall in love?”

“Oh, well,” Bitty started with a blush, then straightened his shoulders, determined. Both he and Jack had agreed on being straightforward and alignment-positive when discussing these things with Vivi, because they’d both had… trouble… adjusting to their alignment and the stigmas that went with them. “See, remember how we’ve talked about Omegas and their heats?”

“Omegas can spend their heats with who they want,” Vivi recited, before taking another bite.

“Yes, Vivi, good,” Jack murmured. They hadn't gone into detail about exactly _what_ an Alpha and Omega did during a heat, that could come later. But Bitty had grown up in a household where such things weren't discussed, and both he and Jack had come from collegiate sports, where consent was _still_ a huge issue, despite- despite- Bitty clamped down on his thoughts, and returned to the story.

“So. Your papa needed some help with a heat, and normally he would ask Au-” Bitty paused before saying ‘Auntie Lardo,’ as he belatedly realized she might not want those details out there. “He would ask someone, but they had to travel one time, so Papa asked me. Because he trusted me. And that helped us realize we were in love.”

“Hmmm.” Vivi mulled that over as she chewed. Finally, she replied, “Well, I think Judy and Maggie met on the playground.”

Behind him, Jack shook in silent laughter, and Bitty swatted his knee playfully. “Well, that’s nice too, baby.”

Vivi continued to chatter about her dolls, and their increasingly interesting love life - who knew the playground had a pool full of sharks that Maggie had rescued Judy from? Certainly not Bitty - as Jack and Bitty encouraged her to spin the story. By the time breakfast was done, Vivi was practically vibrating with excitement to go back and play with her dolls. She was halfway off her chair before Bitty cleared his throat.

She looked back at him, the expression on her face that she knew she was totally caught, but smiling with innocence anyway. “I was gonna say, Daddy, may I be excused?”

Bitty stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “Yes, Vivi.” As she ran back to the living room, dolls clutched to her chest, Bitty called, “Wash your hands again before you get syrup everywh- too late.”

Jack laughed, pulling him in closer to snuggle. Bitty leaned his head back on Jack’s shoulder, chuckling a little himself as he pressed a kiss to Jack’s throat. “Good thing Maggie and Judy are washable, eh, Bits?”

This time, Bitty did roll his eyes. “Uh huh.” He sighed, looking at the dirty table, and started to get up. “I should-”

Jack pulled him back gently. “Wait just a second? With me?” Jack’s lips brushed across his hair.

“Yeah, of course, sweetie.” He turned a little, so he could see Jack’s face better.

Jack took advantage of the position, sliding their lips together in a slow, drowsy sweetness that matched the lazy Sunday morning perfectly. “You always tell the story so nicely, Bitty,” he murmured. “Not like it was a crazy elaborate scheme for me to get knotted by my crush at all.”

“Wait, what?” Bitty pulled back a bit.

“I’m such a creep, I know.”

“Honey, what are you talking about?” Bitty’s brows drew together as he watched Jack’s face. “Creep? You didn’t really even like me. How creepy was I, crushin’ on you and being so happy to knot you, when all you were doing was asking for my help?”

“You- I- What?”

“Oh Lord, Jack. You and I have very different memories of that summer, apparently.”

Jack pulled Bitty closer, burrowing his head in Bitty’s neck. Bitty could feel the heat on Jack’s cheeks. "Apparently."

Bitty ran his fingers through Jack's hair. “Ah, sweetheart. It’s okay. I'm sure you didn't do anything creep-worthy. Want me to tell you my story?” Jack nodded against his neck. “Okay, well…”

* * *

June, 2014

“Coming!” Bitty called at the efficient knock on his door. “Oh.” The little sound escaped Bitty’s mouth before he could hold it back. Then, he cleared his throat and swung his bedroom door open wide for Jack and Lardo. As always, Jack’s sweet Omega scent hit Bitty’s nose and made him want to groan, but he tamped down on the feelings. “I’m sorry, where’re my manners? Come on in.”

Lardo smiled at him, but Jack wasn’t quite meeting his eye as he leaned against the windowsill. Bitty gulped. He and Jack...they’d been getting on so much better lately. Why was he giving Bitty the cold shoulder?

Lardo closed Bitty’s door behind her, both the Alpha and team manager in her taking over the situation in the bedroom innately. She pulled Bitty down to his bed, looking around the room at the boxes Bitty hadn’t yet finished unpacking. “Looks like you’re settling in okay.”

Bitty gulped and nodded. Something about the situation was making him nervous. “Yeah, uh, I’m glad Johnson let me move in for the summer. It’ll be nice for the summer classes.” He clenched his hands together.

Lardo’s nose wrinkled a little bit, and she reached over to pat him on the knee. “Dude, it’s okay. You’re fine. Maybe we should get to the point, _Jack_ ,” she said pointedly, making eyes at Jack, who’d crossed his hands over his chest and was frowning harder than ever.

 _“Crisse.”_ When he looked over at them, Bitty was surprised to see his eyes were...embarrassed. “Can you do it, Lardo. Please?”

“Sure, Zimmermann. No problem,” she replied softly, her voice full of understanding. Bitty chewed into his lip - he wasn’t sure he’d ever truly understand Lardo and Jack’s relationship, but he appreciated it, and at the same time was extremely jealous of it.

“Okay, Bits, here’s the deal,” Lardo started, her eyes intent on his. “For, um, reasons I’ll let Jack divulge if he wants, Jack can’t take suppressants.”

Bitty’s eyes went wide. He looked to Jack, but Jack was stubbornly staring at a spot on the wall. "Overdose," he mumbled quietly, and Bitty's heart broke a little for the boy Jack had been. Bitty nodded his understanding, even though Jack wasn't looking at him.

“Obviously, that means that Jack gets heats once a month that need to be dealt with. Normally, I help him out.”

Bitty wasn’t sure his eyes could go wider.

“Jack needs an Alpha that will help him out without getting attached.” Lardo grinned ruefully. “As much as I can appreciate Jack’s body, he’s not exactly my type, right? Now _Camilla_ , on the other hand…” She winked at Bitty, then paused.

“Oh-oh-uh. Okay?”

“So I’ve got to go home this summer, but Jack is using the Haus as base between training camps, so he’ll be here too.” She looked expectantly at him.

“Uh. Cool?” Bitty felt like there was something he should be saying differently.

“ _Crisse_ , Bittle, she’s asking if you’ll help me with my heats.” Jack’s voice, low and grumbly, never failed to have an effect on Bitty. This time, the effect was embarrassment.

 _“Oh._ ” Bitty felt color flood his face, and it was his own turn to look away. “Why me? Why not, like...Shitty or someone?” he mumbled.

“Shitty’s a little too...excitable,” Lardo replied.

“You’re nice. Probably too nice for hockey, but-” Jack muttered under his breath.

Lardo rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, Jack, because insulting him will get him to help you.”

Jack glared back, and his smell started to sour. Suddenly, Bitty appreciated how hard this must be for him. Jack, the team captain, Jack, who craved control, Jack, having to ask the freshman Alpha for help with his heat. “I can do it.” His voice was determined. “No strings. I've got your back. Just a bro helping a bro out.” He forced the words out of his mouth, and they must have sounded as awkward to Lardo and Jack as they did to him, because they both smiled a little. “Are you, um, regular?”

Jack flushed. “I’m on birth control, so yeah. Can’t block the heats entirely, but at least they’re scheduled.”

Lardo was flipping through her phone. “He’s got one in a few days. I’ll still be here. I was thinking that I could show you the ropes, show you what works for Jack? I just invited you to this calendar, by the way. You can cover July and August, and I’ll be back for September obviously.” She stood, tapping on her phone efficiently. “We good?”

Bitty gulped. “Yeah, sure. Yeah.”

She headed out the door, and Jack followed her, then paused at the jamb and turned to look back at him. “Bi- Eric, thank you. I’d, um, appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone about this?”

“Of course,” he responded with a quick nod. A few seconds later, and he was alone on his bed again, staring at the closed door.

He gripped the bed, trying not to think about the fact that he was going to be _knotting Jack fucking Zimmermann_ in a few days. He ran a hand over his sweaty brow. _Okay, Eric, it’s no big deal. You just have the biggest crush on him, but you can totally just do this for him and not let your feelings get in the way. You’ve got this._ He felt a little sick to his stomach. _Now you just have to figure out how not to let on you’re a virgin. Right._

* * *

July, 2024

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jack groaned. “You were a _virgin?_ ”

“You couldn’t _tell?_ ” Bitty squeaked, then coughed, trying to bring his voice back down to a normal level. “You couldn’t tell, seriously?”

“ _Crisse,_ I feel like even more of a creep now. But no, I couldn’t...I kind of lose my head in my heats.” He smiled ruefully at Bitty.

“Well _that’s_ the truth, sweetheart,” Bitty replied, brushing their lips together. “I wasn’t exactly… no one in Georgia would have ever thought of me as mate material.”

Jack growled a little, pulling Bitty closer. “Their loss, _mon coeur_ , and my gain.”

Bitty blushed, pleased. “As I was saying…”

* * *

July, 2014

The next few days passed by in a sort of blur. Bitty mostly coped with his nervousness by upping his stress-baking, Jack coped by ignoring him, and Lardo attempted to be helpful to both by giving them sage nods.

On the day Jack’s heat was supposed to arrive, Bitty was pulled out of sleep by a frustrated Jack, insisting that they go to the rink for some checking practice.

“But it’s not even hockey seas-”

“It’s always hockey season.”

“Did you even book Faber?”

“They’ll let me in.” Jack was actually searching through Bitty’s drawers to toss clothes at him. Bitty narrowed his eyes, then sniffed the air cautiously. Surreptitiously, he texted a 911 to Lardo. “Okay, just give me a second.” He swung out of bed, grabbing the clothes Jack had tossed his way and preparing to head to the bathroom, because, Jesus, sure, he was going to be seeing Jack naked here pretty quickly, probably, but that didn’t mean he wanted-

Bitty was cut off from his thoughts when Jack sat down hard, on the bed, and pulled Bitty back, nuzzling into Bitty’s pajama-covered stomach. “ _Crisse,_ you smell _amazing._ ”

Bitty froze, unsure of what to do, though Jack seemed content enough rubbing his face against Bitty’s chest.

“Finger through his hair. He loves it,” Lardo’s voice called efficiently from the doorway, and Bitty turned to see her there, a bag slung over her shoulder.

He turned back, and tentatively raised a hand, running it through the floppy brown locks that Jack mostly liked to push away from his face. It was a move Bitty had been imagining himself doing for too long, way too long.

“Mmmmm,” Jack hummed, and Bitty could feel the vibration of it against his stomach. Jack was nuzzling a little lower, now, to where Bitty’s cock had begun to bulge the minute the scent of Jack’s heat had hit his nose. “Mmmmm, Alpha,” Jack murmured.

“Whoa, okay,” Bitty squeaked, even as Lardo chuckled.

She sat beside Jack on the bed, pushing her fingers through Jack’s hair too, and Jack was momentarily distracted by the dueling scents of the Alphas, unsure of which to turn to. Experience won out, though, and he looked at Lardo, eyes heavily lidded. “Hey, Jack. We’re going to go back to your room, ‘kay? Remember, the insulation is better there, and the sound proofing? So your heat won’t affect the whole house?”

Jack nodded slowly, as if drunk, but let Lardo pull him up and lead him out. Bitty followed in a daze, barely able to remember to shut his own door.

“Bitty’s going to get you undressed, so you can be more comfortable, okay Jack?” Lardo nodded at Bitty around Jack’s body, then left him to lock the bedroom door and set the room up for his heat.

Bitty gulped as Jack turned to him, tugging at his own shirt hem, which Bitty jolted back into action. “Here, let me, sweetheart,” he murmured, the epithet slipping out. He helped pull the shirt over Jack’s head, trying not to goggle too hard at the sleek lines of pure muscle. Sure, he’d seen it in the locker room, but he’d tried not to actually _look_. No one wants to be the creepy guy in the locker room.

With trembling hands, Bitty untied the drawstring on Jack’s shorts, then pushed them and Jack's soaked briefs over his hips and to the floor. He helped Jack step out, embarrassed by how much Jack’s bare feet turned him on.

“Perfect,” Lardo said, sounding professional. “Okay, Jack, time for bed.”

Jack moaned, nodding, and practically fell there, going to his hands and knees and presenting for them.

“Oh, oh, sweet Christ on a cracker,” Bitty murmured.

Lardo smiled at him slyly, then moved behind Jack to pet down his back. “He’s such a good boy, isn’t he. Such a good Omega.” The praise made Jack shudder, and Lardo winked. “Another one of his things,” she whispered to him.

Efficiently, she disrobed herself, though Bitty noted that she kept her cami on, and wondered if it was a preference for her, or for Jack. She grabbed a condom from her pack, and slid it onto her Alpha cock, turning to Bitty. “So, he’s on birth control, right? But this is to be doubly sure. And STIs and stuff. The most important thing about this, Bits, is to remember that we’re protecting each other here. We've got Jack's back.”

Bitty swallowed, guilt shooting through him as his cock swelled painfully in his pajama pants, because all he wanted to do was push Lardo out of the way and slip into Jack himself. _Protecting each other, Bitty. Protecting._ _Got your back._

Lardo hummed as she slid into Jack’s red, glistening hole. “Just listen to Jack,” she murmured as she started to move in him. “He’ll show you how he wants it. Sometimes the first one is fast, sometimes it’s slow. You just have to pay attention to him.”

Bitty watched them, mouth dry, as they moved together, so naturally, practically wordless except for Jack’s moans. Lardo kept a steadying hand on Jack’s back, and Bitty lost his breath, watching Jack’s muscles ripple with the effort of thrusting back into her.

“Hair,” Lardo managed, squeezing her fingers into Jack’s hips and thrusting harder.

The single word had Bitty jolting from his reverie, and he knelt on the bed by Jack’s head, wiping sweat from his brow and running his fingers through Jack’s hair. Jack practically keened, and collapsed into Bitty’s lap, moaning there as Lardo continued to pound into him. Jack’s lips mouthed over the large wet spot of precum on Bitty’s pants, and Bitty moaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he forbade himself from feeding Jack his cock. That’s not what Jack had consented to. _Protection. Safety. You got this, Eric._

Jack howled, and Lardo stilled. Bitty realized with a jolt that her knot must be expanding inside Jack, stretching him wide. His eyes squeezed shut as Bitty continued to stroke through his hair, his body rigid with release. Above him, Lardo moaned and collapsed on top of him, kissing the parts of his back she could reach and telling him what a good omega he was.

“This is the tricky part,” Lardo said sardonically a few minutes later, smiling a little at Bitty, still breathless. “This position is too hard on his knees. We gotta get him moved over so we can unknot, without crushing little ol’ me.”

Bitty smiled a little at that, despite still being irrevocably turned on. He helped Lardo push Jack to his side, gently, then continued to run his fingers through Jack’s locks as Jack drifted on some other, presumably higher, plane.

Lardo pulled a pillow down for her head, then grabbed her phone, which Bitty realized with a start she’d put within reaching distance. “Knot deflation time varies from Alpha to Alpha, of course, but Jack’ll probably still be out when your knot does come down. What you’re doing is perfect. Physical contact helps him feel safe. I try to force one of those awful protein drinks he loves down him after a few hours. It’ll help him feel more human tomorrow. Jack’s heats rarely last more than 24 hours.” She was flicking through her social media feeds.

“You, uh. It’s awful nice, I guess, what you’re doing for Jack. Since you’re not interested.”

Lardo’s eyes flicked up at him. “Yeah, well. Jack’s been through a lot of shit, you know? Taken a lot of it for being an Omega, trying to be in professional sports. You’ve heard the ‘get back in the kitchen’ comments out on the ice. I mean, the ones that happen before Rans and Holster manage to shut _that_ shit down.”

Bitty blushed, looking back down at the man before him. He could understand that _quite_ well. His peers had taken pretty much every opportunity to question his alphahood since he’d presented. His parents had assured him that his Alpha hormones would kick up a growth spurt at some point, but Bitty’s body had remained stubbornly small - well, except, of course, for where it counted, Bitty thought with another blush at the reminder of his cock currently straining in his pants.

Plus he _liked_ being short, for the most part. It was...part of him, now. He couldn’t imagine shooting up to Jack’s height overnight. It’d be...who would _he_ be, then? Sure, not the Alpha that got shoved in the broom closet and stuck for twelve hours. But he also wouldn’t be...well, he wouldn’t be _Bitty._

And Jack wouldn’t be Jack if he’d taken on the ‘normal’ Omega characteristics, either. And, damn, if that realization didn’t make Bitty’s heart swell even more, realizing how alike they were in that regard.

Jack shuddered beneath his fingers, and behind him, he saw Lardo slip out, then hug Jack from behind. Jack’s eyes fluttered open, still droopy with pleasure. “It’s okay, Jack, you can rest some. You’re okay,” Lardo whispered into his ear, and Bitty’s heart positively melted when Jack followed her directive, pillowing his head further into Bitty’s lap.

Bitty barely wanted to breathe, the moment felt so perfect, and so insane. How- how had he gotten here?

“I can take over if you want,” Lardo murmured, and Bitty shook his head, too quickly, probably. He’d over-analyze that later.

“I’m okay.”

She smiled, then turned back to her phone screen, even as one hand continued to stroke Jack’s back.

* * *

July, 2024

Bitty shook his head. “I was so in love with you, and all you had asked of me was to not get attached.”

“ _Mon coeur._ ” Jack sounded overcome as he hugged Bitty close. Bitty reached up to wipe a tear away from Jack’s cheek, secretly pleased at how emotional Jack got during his pregnancy.

“Lord help me, I was too nervous to even knot you that first time. But then Lardo went away, ‘course, and we had no other choice.”

* * *

July, 2014

“ _Tabernak._ It’s too fucking hot in here,” Jack grumbled, slamming the kitchen door open. “The humidity is just- _fuck_.”

Bitty smiled a little into his batter, even as his heartbeat kicked up. “Sweetheart, why don’t you go upstairs for me right quick, ‘kay? To your bedroom?”

* * *

July, 2024

“I am _not_ always a jerk during my heat,” Jack interjected.

Bitty laughed, tracing lines on Jack’s chest. “Honey.”

“I’m not! Am I?”

Bitty cupped Jack’s face. “Lord, sweetie, I love you so much. But right before your heat, you can be a bit of a … bear.”

Jack pouted until Bitty pulled him down for a kiss.

* * *

July, 2014

The sweet statement, no less a command for how nicely Bitty had said it, landed heavily in the silent room. Bitty’s heart pounded, worried that Jack wouldn’t listen to him, that Jack didn’t want him to help. Then, with a glare, Jack stomped away and up the stairs. Bitty chewed on his lip nervously as he covered the batter bowl in plastic wrap; luckily it would be okay sitting in the fridge.

Every step up the stairs, Bitty gave himself a little mental peptalk.

_You can do this._

_Just because you’re a virgin, doesn’t mean it’s going to be awful._

_Everything’s going to be fine._

_Jack needs you._

_Jack_ needs _you._

He grabbed the heat bag Lardo had lent him from his room, then knocked tentatively on Jack’s door. Even though Jack’s “Come in” was gruff, he was determined not to be intimidated as he opened the door.

Jack was pacing back and forth, obviously agitated. “Heats are just so fucking stupid, you know? Like, why? Why would I ever want to have kids?”

* * *

July, 2024

“ _Crisse._ ” Jack looked extremely embarrassed. “I don’t even remember saying that. I’m so sorry, Eric, how awful I made your first time.”

“Hush, honey. Let’s uh, let’s just keep that part between you and me, though, huh?” he joked with a glance at the living room, where they could hear Vivi making the voices for her dolls.

* * *

July, 2014

Bitty swallowed, then noticed the sheen of sweat on Jack’s forehead. He set his shoulders. He could do this. If there was one thing Suzanne Bittle and the rest of the Southern world had trained him for, it was acts of service for others. Making sure everyone in the room had what they needed was as deeply ingrained in him as his need to say ‘y’all.’

“Let’s just get you out of those clothes, then, honey, and that’ll help you cool down,” Bitty said calmly, locking the door.

Jack sniffed audibly when Bitty drew closer, then pulled Bitty to him by his waist, lifting Bitty so he could bury his head in Bitty’s neck, lost in the scent there. Bitty laughed a little nervously. “Okay, buster, set me down.” Jack groaned and complied. “Good. Good Omega.”

He worked quickly to divest them of their clothing before Jack could manhandle him again - not that he really minded - and pushed Jack gently down onto the bed. He turned, fishing a condom out of the bag. When he came back, Jack was lying on the bed, one hand roaming over his body, pinching at a nipple, then rubbing over his stomach, then massaging his cock - and damn if his cock didn’t defy Omega standards, standing tall, proportionate to the rest of him. “Christ, Jack, you’re so gorgeous,” Bitty murmured, and he didn’t think Jack even heard him.

He rolled the condom up, then knelt before Jack’s spread legs and chewed his lip again. Last time, lardo had entered Jack exclusively from behind. But she’d also said, ‘Jack will tell you what he wants,’ and right now, it looked like Jack was pretty happy just where he was.

He spread Jack’s thighs a little more, running one finger around Jack’s swollen, wet rim , testing the amount of slick there. His finger slid in easily, and above him, Jack moaned. “ _Alpha._ ”

“Right here, Jack. You’re being so good for me. Just give me-” Bitty gasped as he slipped easily inside Jack’s hole, the warm heat enveloping his cock. “Oh- oh _fuck_ ,” Bitty moaned, then colored at his language. It was just that Jack felt so fucking good, better than he’d ever imagined, better than any facsimile he’d ever come up with. He thrust all the way inside, groaning as he bottomed out, feeling Jack clench around him.

Bitty realized quickly that it was all going to be over embarrassingly soon for him, and he hoped Jack was too blissed out to notice. Already his knot was expanding, being squeezed so nice and tight by Jack’s hole, and he groaned, teeth nipping lightly into the skin of Jack’s chest. He reached down, fisting Jack’s cock, working to bring him to peak even as Bitty came, deep inside him, his cum captured by the condom. Jack came all over his belly, stomach muscles clenching, then releasing, as he fell back onto his pillows.

Bitty collapsed on Jack’s chest, reaching up to run a hand through Jack’s hair as their breath heaved.

“You’re bigger than Lardo,” Jack mumbled happily, his breath making Bitty’s hair stir. “I like it, Alpha.”

Something weird fluttered through Bitty’s chest. He wished Jack would feel this way about him _outside_ of a heat, rather than just the weary tolerance Bitty got from him normally.

* * *

July, 2024

“But I _did,_ ” Jack cut in, distressed.

“Hey, shhhh, it’s okay.”

“I did feel that way about you.”

“But you- you said you didn’t want to get attached.”

Jack blushed, burying his head in Bitty’s neck. “See, I _am_ the creep.”

“Honey, this isn’t some type of creep contest. Why do you tell me your version?”

* * *

August, 2014

“Lardo, I need help.” Those were pretty much the three hardest words in any language for Jack to say, and he waited tensely for Lardo to register what he’d said.

When she spoke, her voice was alert, and the background noise that had first been there when he’d called had subsided. “Jack? Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Belatedly, he realized how urgent he’d sounded. “Not- no, I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I just- it’s not working, with Bitty.”

There was a pause on her end. “No?”

“No.”

“Did he hurt you, Jack? Or force-” She sounded incredulous, and he cut her off quickly.

“No, no. God, could you imagine? No. Just. It’s not- I don’t know why I ever thought…”

“Jack, you need to say it aloud, I think,” Lardo murmured when Jack trailed off.

Jack counted to ten, then attempted to pull the band aid off. “I think I love Eric Bittle.”

 

3 months earlier

 

Jack laid a soft hand on Lardo’s shoulder. “Thanks for telling me, and giving me time to adjust. I appreciate that.”

“Hey, no problem, man. Sorry I won’t be around to help you out, though.”

“No, no, it’s okay, Larissa. I understand family obligations, believe me.”

As always, her little nose wrinkled at Jack’s lack of using her nickname. Sometimes he thought he did it just to see that. “Well, you know I’d do it, if I could.”

“Yeah,” Jack sighed. The thought of using a dildo was...less than appealing. He frowned at himself. Had Lardo really spoiled him that much? No. He could _totally_ go back to using a knotting dildo.

“You know,” Lardo said thoughtfully as she scrolled through her phone, “Bitty’s an Alpha.”

“I know,” Jack replied quickly, then coughed, attempting to sound more nonchalant. “I mean, I know.”

* * *

July, 2024

“ _Larissa Duan._ ”

“What?” Jack mumbled, confused.

“ _Larissa fucking Duan,”_ Bitty repeated in the same awed, maybe angry voice. Then he cracked a smile. “One sec.” Bitty pulled out his phone, flicking through until he found what he wanted, then held the phone out. Jack heard it ring, realizing it was on speaker phone.

“Hey, Bits, what’s up?” Lardo’s voice came out, crackly.

“ _Larissa. Fucking. Duan._ ”

“Uhhhh, Bitty?”

“Sorry, Lardo, I think he’s stuck,” Jack replied, barely repressing a grin.

“Jack?”

“ _Larissa Duan._ We are sitting here, having a marital crisis, and it turns out, you-”

“We’re having a marital crisis?” Jack said, voice panicky.

“What? No, darling, just an expression. Calm down. _Lar-”_

“Oh my god, Bitty, I know my name.”

“Did you or did you not suggest to _my husband_ that, in your absence, he should ask me to fill in for his heats?”

“Uh...I plead the Fifth?” Lardo laughed.

“I have literally been feelin’ guilty for the last _ten years_ that I helped Jack, knowing I had the hugest crush on him, and he didn’t want that.”

There was silence, then Lardo coughed. “Uh, well, obviously he _did_ want that.”

Jack leaned his forehead against Bitty. “And I’ve been feeling guilty for the last ten years that I didn’t tell Bitty I had a crush on him before he knotted me.”

“And you guys literally just now figured this out? How in the hell have you uncommunicative bastards been married for six years, and I can’t get Adrianne to commit to a date?”

“We-” Bitty started, then trailed off.

“Uh-” Jack buried his face in Bitty’s chest again.

"Sorry, Lards, gotta go," Bitty said over Lardo's chirping protests. He wrapped his arms around Jack, then burst into laughter. Below him, Jack was trembling with his own mirth. "Oh, God. Wow." Jack pulled back, and Bitty brushed a kiss across his lips, because he could. “Uh, I guess it doesn’t really matter how we ended up here, does it?”

“I guess it doesn’t.”

* * *

August, 2014

“Have you thought of telling him that?” Lardo asked softly.

“About eight billion times.”

“Jack, you know I won’t be hurt if you want to have Bitty be your heat partner, as long as he keeps you safe.”

Jack sucked in a breath, thinking of the possibility.

“But can I just suggest, maybe, confessing your feelings before too long? I think you’ll both be happier for it.”

“I- … Yeah?”

“Just think about it.” He could hear the smile in her voice over the phone.

Jack heard steps on the stairway, and scented the air. Vanilla. _Bitty._ The steps paused before his room, and there was a tentative knock. “I gotta go, Lardo. But thanks.”

“See you soon, Jack.”

When Jack opened the door, Bitty had already turned around and was opening his own. He stopped at the sound of Jack behind him. When he turned back, his face was sunny, the smile there gorgeous, and just for Jack, and Jack’s heart squeezed in his chest. “Hey, Bitty,” he said, a little breathless.

“Hey Jack! I was wondering if you wanted to go walk to the frozen yogurt place? Honestly, I am just _dying_ without air conditioning, I don’t know how y'all up here do it, I-”

Bitty’s chatter was cut off by Jack’s kiss, the kiss he’d been yearning to give Bitty for a long time, a kiss that couldn’t have existed inside a heat, it was too sweet, too tender.

“Jack,” Bitty gasped, when they’d broken apart. “Are you? Isn’t it early?” Bitty’s brows furrowed, and Jack placed a kiss there, too.

“No heat, no hormones,” Jack murmured. “I like you, Bittle. Eric.”

A beautiful flush came over Bitty’s cheeks. “Oh.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos power this machine. 
> 
> I'm @animalasaysrauer on tumblr, where I reblog a lot of Check Please, Stormpilot, and whatever else I want.


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